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A farewell to arms
A farewell to arms

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of A farewell to arms is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A farewell to arms
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.
Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.
I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.
The other cars pulled up.
I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A farewell to arms

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of A farewell to arms is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.
/ðə nekst ˌæftərˈnuːn wiː hɜːrd ðer wɑːz tuː biː æn əˈtæk ʌp ðə ˈrɪvər ðæt naɪt ənd ðæt wiː wɜːr tuː teɪk fɔːr kɑːrz ðer/
Line 2
Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.
Line 3
I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.
/aɪ wɑːz ˈraɪdɪŋ ɪn ðə fɜːrst kɑːr ənd æz wiː pæst ðə ˈentri tuː ðə ˈbrɪtɪʃ ˈhɑːspɪtəl aɪ toʊld ðə ˈdraɪvər tuː stɑːp/
Line 4
The other cars pulled up.
/ðə ˈʌðər kɑːrz pʊld ʌp/
Line 5
I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

British noun US /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/

the people of Great Britain

From this reading “I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.”

cars noun US /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading “The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.”

driver noun US /ˈdraɪvər/

the operator of a motor vehicle

From this reading “I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.”

entry noun US /ˈentri/

an item inserted in a written record

From this reading “I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.”

hospital noun US /ˈhɑːspɪtəl/

a health facility where patients receive treatment

From this reading “I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.”

junction noun US /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading “I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.”

riding noun US /ˈraɪdɪŋ/

the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements

From this reading “I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.”

strategical adjective US /strəˈtiːdʒɪkəl/

relating to or concerned with strategy

From this reading “Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

pulled up verb + adjective counted as “pull up”

come to a halt after driving somewhere

In this reading “The other cars pulled up.”

next afternoon adjective + noun

In this reading “The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.”

at the junction preposition + article + noun counted as “at … junction”

In this reading “I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.”

go on verb + particle

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

In this reading “I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.”

caught up verb + adjective counted as “catch up”

reach the point where one should be after a delay

In this reading “I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.”

got out verb + adjective counted as “get out”

move out of or depart from

In this reading “I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.”

All words in this reading · 64

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

attacknounUS /əˈtæk/

(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

BritishnounUS /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/

the people of Great Britain

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

carnounUS /kɑːr/

a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

carsnounUS /kɑːrz/

plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

Cormons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

drivernounUS /ˈdraɪvər/

the operator of a motor vehicle

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

entrynounUS /ˈentri/

an item inserted in a written record

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

hospitalnounUS /ˈhɑːspɪtəl/

a health facility where patients receive treatment

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

junctionnounUS /ˈdʒʌŋkʃən/

the place where two or more things come together

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

NobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The other cars pulled up.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

positivenessnoun

the character of the positive electric pole

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

pulledverbUS /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading The other cars pulled up.

ridingnounUS /ˈraɪdɪŋ/

the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

stopverbUS /stɑːp/

come to a halt, stop moving

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

strategicaladjectiveUS /strəˈtiːdʒɪkəl/

relating to or concerned with strategy

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading I was riding in the first car and as we passed the entry to the British hospital I told the driver to stop.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

waitverbUS /weɪt/

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading I got out and told the driver to go on and that if we had not caught up to them at the junction of the road to Cormons to wait there.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The next afternoon we heard there was to be an attack up the river that night and that we were to take four cars there.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Nobody knew anything about it although they all spoke with great positiveness and strategical knowledge.

Chapter 8 of A farewell to arms by Ernest Hemingway holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 8 of A farewell to arms contain?

Chapter 8 holds 81 sentences of A farewell to arms, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of A farewell to arms by Ernest Hemingway exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 8 of A farewell to arms?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading A farewell to arms

Common questions about reading A farewell to arms by Ernest Hemingway on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A farewell to arms?

Yes. All 9383 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75201 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A farewell to arms is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #75201, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A farewell to arms take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A farewell to arms section by section

How to work through A farewell to arms section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of A farewell to arms to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A farewell to arms

Words and structures a reader meets early in A farewell to arms, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Summer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A farewell to arms; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lived
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A farewell to arms; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
House
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A farewell to arms; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Village
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A farewell to arms; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.